Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government against any attempt to invite, arrest or interview former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over what he described as "frivolous petitions."

Speaking at a rally, Melaye stated, "This is our note of warning. Any day, due to these frivolous petitions, you invite, arrest, or interview Atiku Abubakar, and we are not saying it with fear or favour. We mean it," he said.

The senator went further, framing any such move as a broader confrontation between the government and the Nigerian people.

"We will prove to you that those in government are less than 1% of the population of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We will prove to you that the people own government," he said.

His comments come after a former member of the House of Representatives and ex-Code of Conduct Bureau member, Ehiozuwa J. Agbonayinma, petitioned the EFCC (through his lawyer Hannibal Uwaifo of Sagitarian Law Firm) on September 1, 2026, asking the commission to reopen and prosecute a 2005–2006 financial crimes case against Atiku Abubakar, based on an old EFCC report from his time as vice-president under President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The petition gave the EFCC 14 days to act, warning of legal action if it didn't.

Atiku publicly pushed back through his aide Phrank Shaibu, arguing the timing — with the January 15, 2027 election approaching, where he's the ADC's presidential candidate — showed his opponents had "run out of answers" on real issues like the cost of living.

He noted no court had ever convicted him over the old allegations: "A petition is not a conviction... and repetition cannot magically become a judgment of court."

Watch the video below:

DM DARE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON EFCC INVITING ATIKU. HE SAID GOVERNMENT IS NOT OWNED BY THE PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT IS OWNED BY THE PEOPLE pic.twitter.com/igcyf090I4

— Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@_dinomelaye) September 11, 2026